Let's address the real threat of the government collecting every email, phone call and text in some giant computer complex in Utah before we address our TV's being hacked.
NEW YORK, NY - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on major
television manufacturers to create a uniform standard of security to be
used in all new internet and video enabled televisions that would
prevent hackers from spying on consumers.
Last week, a security research group presented to a technology
conference in Las Vegas, highlighting a flaw in so-called "smart" TVs
that allowed them to hack into the appliances, activating the
microphones and embedded cameras and monitoring them remotely. The same
methods applied to a television in a home would allow hackers to view
and record everything going on in the room that contained the
television. Even more disturbing, security experts have suggested that
few of these new televisions have strong security measures, or any
security measures at all.
Today Schumer called on the main television manufacturers to improve
the security software used in these smart TVs by coming together and
creating a uniform minimum security standard that could be followed by
everyone in the industry. The gaps in security create a problem for all
manufacturers, and an industry wide solution would reduce the cost and
increase the ease with which it could be implemented. Schumer noted
that most new TV models include microphones, cameras and internet
access, but consumers are not as vigilant as they are with their
computers because hacking appliances is still a relatively new and
unknown phenomenon.
